1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to chairs used in beauty shops or barber shops, and, more particularly, to chairs adapted to be raised and lowered, moved along a floor, and tilted at a sink.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is known in the prior art for devices to be employed with wheeled chairs, e. g. wheelchairs, to enable tilting of the wheelchairs and the persons seated in the wheelchairs. In this respect, the following U.S. patent disclose such devices: U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,192,549, 4,834,411, 5,040,939, and 5,472,307. More specifically, each of U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,192,549, 4,834,411, 5,040,939, and 5,472,307 discloses a device for tilting wheelchairs; that is, the entire wheelchair and any person seated in the wheelchair is tilted by the respective devices. When a person seated in a wheelchair is to be tilted so that the person's hair can be washed in a sink, such as a beauty parlor or a barber shop, the device that tilts the wheelchair and the person sitting therein must be located near the sink and must be positioned in a location near the sink so that the tilted person's head will be located near the edge of the sink. Since persons seated in wheelchairs come in all shapes and sizes, it is a difficult design problem to proportion and position a wheelchair tilting device near a sink so that a tilted person's head will be located at the edge of the sink. More specifically, it would be desirable is a person tilting device were provided that does not require the combination of an entire wheeled chair and a person seated in the wheeled chair to be tilted when a person seated in a wheeled chair is to have one's head tilted to the edge of a sink.
In the environment of a beauty parlor or barber shop, it is often desirable for a patron to be seated in a first chair, e.g. a beautician's work chair, whose height can be raised and lowered so that head of the patron is conveniently located with respect to the working hands of the beautician for cosmetological activity. This first chair is separate and distinct from a second chair, which is located adjacent to a sink, wherein a patron's hair is washed. Often the first chair and the second chair are located a substantial distance from each other so that the patron must walk back and forth between the first chair and the second chair. To avoid the need for a patron to walk back and forth between a first chair and a second chair, it would be desirable if a single chair could be provided that permits a patron to be raised and lowered so that a beautician's working hands and the head of a patron are positioned conveniently with respect to each other, that permits a patron to be wheeled to a location adjacent to a hair washing sink, and that permits the single chair to be tilted so that the patron's head extends into the hair washing sink to enable hair washing therein.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,463,597 discloses a hair washing apparatus in which a single seat is located adjacent to a hair washing sink, and the seat can be raised and lowered with respect to the sink. It is noted that the seat is so close to the sink, and that the sink is in a fixed location with respected to plumbing, it would be very difficult for a beautician to use the seat for working on a patron. This so because the beautician does not have full 360 degree access to the patron. Without 360 degree access to the patron, it may be very difficult for a beautician to provide adequate service to a patron. In this respect, it would be desirable for a single chair to be provided that can be raised and lowered vertically, that permits a beautician to have 360 degree access to the patron, and that can be tilted to allow a patron's head to extend into a sink for washing.
Still other features would be desirable in a wheeled chair apparatus especially useful in beauty shops and barber shops. For example, it would be desirable for a wheeled chair apparatus to be adapted to be selectively both readily placed upon and readily removed from an elevatable stand. In this respect, in addition, it would be desirable for a wheeled chair apparatus to be easily attached to and detached from an elevatable stand.
Thus, while the foregoing body of prior art indicates it to be well known to use a wheeled chair apparatus, the prior art described above does not teach or suggest an elevatable-stand-adapted, wheeled chair apparatus which has the following combination of desirable features: (1) does not require the proportioning and locating of a wheeled chair tilting device to be near a sink so that the head of a person seated in the wheeled chair will be located at the edge of the sink when the wheeled chair and seated person are tilted together; (2) provides a person tilting device that does not require the combination of an entire wheeled chair and a person seated in the wheeled chair to be tilted when a person seated in a wheeled chair is to have one's head tilted to the edge of a sink; (3) permits a patron to be raised and lowered so that a beautician's or barber's working hands and the head of a patron are positioned conveniently with respect to each other, that permits a patron to be wheeled to a location adjacent to a hair washing sink, and that permits the single chair to be tilted so that the patron's head extends into the hair washing sink to enable hair washing therein; (4) can be raised and lowered vertically, that permits a beautician or barber to have 360 degree access to the patron, and that can be tilted to allow a patron's head to extend into a sink for washing; (5) provides a wheeled chair apparatus that is adapted to be selectively readily placed upon and readily removed from an elevatable stand; and (6) is easily attached to and detached from an elevatable stand. The foregoing desired characteristics are provided by the unique elevatable-stand-adapted, wheeled chair apparatus of the present invention as will be made apparent from the following description thereof. Other advantages of the present invention over the prior art also will be rendered evident.